The Visit
by PhDelicious
Summary: They grew up together, but will they grow old together? A totally AU SJR fic. Complete, at 10 chapters. Sequel forthcoming.
1. Waking

**Disclaimer: These guys don't belong to me either.**

**Spoilers: Nope…this total is AU.**

**Tagline: They grew up together but will they grow old together? SJR**

**A/N: I initially started writing this story before my CSI fic, but I just couldn't get that one out of my head so between that and real life this got put on hold for a while. So in a way this is my first fic, so please be kind but honest. Obviously, character ages and some relationships have been manipulated to fit my purposes. RR otherwise I won't think anybody's reading/ waiting for an update.

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The Visit

Jack 

He hadn't realized that waking up next to someone could be so peaceful, especially when he didn't remember bringing anyone to his room the night before. The heat radiating from the lithe feminine body curled up next to him was welcome this morning, as a cold breeze blowing across his bare shoulders had him cursing his idiot roommate. They usually left the window between their beds closed.

_Damn it Danny! Stupid lightweight, always getting overheated!_

Jack leaned onto his back and threw his left arm out in the direction of the window. He cracked his eyes open found the window and slid the glass back down. Feeling more content he rolled back to his side and snuck a glance at the bed's other occupant, the first woman to successfully wake in his bed. The shock of seeing shaggy blonde hair resting against his naked chest had him nearly falling out of the small twin bed.

_Oh Shit! Is that Samantha? Please let me be dreaming again. Carter is going to kill me! I'm supposed to be smarter than this, sleeping with my best friend's baby sister. I am so dead!_

Jack shifted uncomfortably trying, unsuccessfully, to put some space between himself and Sam. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and allowing his training to kick in he began to study his situation.

_My pants are on. Samantha's fully clothed. Not that that tank and shorts combo leaves much to the imagination. I can practically see her… focus Jack! Nobody else is in the room. The house is quiet. I'm not hungover, so how do I not remember anything to do with her?_

A muffled yawn and the feel of a soft hand caressing his stomach brought Jack's attention back from the imaginary spot on his ceiling to bright blue eyes and a sleepy smile.

* * *

Sam 

The mixture of surprise, fear, interest, and consternation on Jack's face almost made Sam giggle, but she held it in remembering the last time she'd giggled around him. Jack had tackled her into the couch in her parent's living room and tickled her until she was practically crying. Sam had stopped giggling after that because she'd known, even at thirteen, that there was something dangerous about lying underneath Jack O'Neil. Of course lying beside him wasn't the best idea either, given the frown that was currently marring his gorgeous features.

"Hi" Sam whispered shyly, reaching the hand that had been on his stomach up to smooth out the creases furrowing Jack's forehead. As he continued to stare at her, unmoving, Sam sighed and shifted back, away from him, until she felt the wall at her back.

"Jack, will you please stop looking at me like that. Nothing happened last night. I know you're not interested in me."

Her inner monologue continued as she waited for his reaction.

_Of course he doesn't want you. He's never going to see you as anything other than his best friend's kid sister. Especially not when he could have had any of those gorgeous college girls you met last night. That Sarah girl was practically draped all over him all night. But who's here now? _Sam challenged herself.

As the focus of Sam's thoughts remained silent she pushed herself up into a seated position, her back against the wall facing Jack as he continued to lie on his side along the edge of the bed. The shivery sense of excitement she'd felt upon realizing where she'd woken up was quickly changing into stomach churning nervousness. Sam was beginning to feel embarrassed, trapped, with the wall at her back and Jack caging her onto the bed.

* * *

Jack 

He was watching her so carefully he caught the quick nervous flicker of her eyes around the room in search of escape. Jack sensed Sam's intent to scramble off his bed and one of his hands shot out to land on her knee.

"Wait…please" Jack rasped his voice still cloudy with sleep. He dragged his other hand through his hair. "how did you…why are you…weren't you supposed to be sleeping in Mark's room?"

"Theoretically…"


	2. How did she get here?

**24 Hours earlier**

17 year old Samantha Carter was excited. She knew it wasn't exactly rational. She'd visited her older brother Mark at school before; after all he was a junior in college. She wasn't sure what was making this trip different from the others. Maybe it was because this was the first time an admission's interview had been on her schedule, not that she had to worry about getting in. More likely it was the fact that she was going to be seeing Jack again, after dreaming about him for months. She was sure there'd been a 'moment' between them while he'd been home for fall break a few months ago.

_Why doesn't matter at the moment. Take a deep breath Samantha. It's time to go impress the admissions officers. You can worry about Jack later._

With that Sam parked her car in the visitor's lot and headed into the admissions office.

* * *

90 minutes later, when she wandered back out of the building Sam was slightly more relaxed.

_These interviews are so simple. Talk about being swim team captain for the past few years. Gush about giving back to the community through lessons and volunteering. Mention AP classes and an interest in science or engineering. Smile charmingly and you've got them. Hook, line, and sinker. Ah geez, why did I just use that analogy? I hate fishing; its all Jack's fault. No time for that now Samantha…next up is…right, Intro to Quantum Mechanics. God I'm such a nerd, sitting in on a 400 level physics class for fun. _

The sound of her name echoing across the quad turned Sam's attention outward.

"Hey big brother, T, what's up?"

"Samantha Carter, it is nice to see you again. I am honored that you have chosen to accompany me to lecture this afternoon."

Sam smiled. Mark and his friends had 'adopted' T, she still wasn't sure what his nickname was short for, sometime last year and had been working hard to introduce the international student to Americanized speech and behavioral patterns. It was slow work, though the quirky sense of humor hidden behind his reserved demeanor was certainly becoming more evident.

"Well I'll let you two brains get on with it then. T, don't forget to drop Sam off at the pool after class. Sam, you can eat dinner with the swimmers or stop by the rink after practice and I'll take you downtown when I'm done."

Sam rolled her eyes at her brother.

"You know I'll be waiting for you to finish hockey practice. Mom and Dad sent meal money and there's no way I'm going to let you waste it on campus food or alcohol. Just make sure my stuff gets back to your house safely or there will be hell to pay."

"I will see your sister safely to the natatorium upon completion of our studies, Mark Carter." replied T as he turned to lead Sam to the science building.

* * *

Unsurprisingly the physics class had been somewhat over her head, but she thought she'd caught the central point of the lecture even though she wasn't even halfway through her high school physics course. Sam had also enjoyed speaking with the swim coach and observing the team camaraderie as the swimmers had gathered on deck to stretch before practice. However, there is a limit to how long a person can watch others swim laps without becoming incredibly bored; so Sam excused herself, promising to keep in contact with the coach and headed across the street to the ice arena. Here Sam was content to watch the much more entertaining conclusion to the hockey team's practice. She quickly identified her brother and then lost track of time staring at Jack.

_What is it about the contrast between the skill and finesse with which he handles the puck and the power and ferocity with which he manhandles the other players that has me obsessed with watching him? Maybe because I've seen that same contrast in the way he handles people off the ice? I still can't believe what he did to Pete._

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**A month ago (October)**

It had started as a rather typical first date. Pete had invited her to dinner (pizza at the local place) and a movie. She'd accepted mostly because she felt bad for the new kid in town but also he'd seemed like a nice enough guy. The date had gone seriously down hill for her when he'd started feeling her up in the middle of the movie. Her first instinct had been to hiss at him and smack his arm away. When he'd tried again five minutes later she'd been stopped from causing serious bodily harm by the mysterious appearance of two arms reaching over the back of their seats to numb Pete's arms by hitting a few key pressure points. The sound of a low familiar voice had accompanied this action keeping Sam from causing an even bigger scene in the middle of the theater.

"I don't believe the lady is interested, kid. Get a clue."

Sam had flashed a thankful smile at Jack before storming out of the theater. She hadn't quite made it to the parking lot when she realized that Pete had driven and she now lacked the means to actually escape from this embarrassing situation.

"Can I offer the damsel in distress a ride home?"

The sound of Jack's voice in her ear had startled Sam. She had stood up from the curb, nodded her head and followed him to his truck, not quite trusting her voice yet. The ride back to her home had been quiet but not overly tense. He'd insisted on walking her to her door and she'd tried to thank him and apologize for ruining his evening, but he'd merely raised his hand cutting her off.

"Samantha, I'm sure you would have given that creep what he deserved if I hadn't intervened. I just did it faster."

He'd pulled one hand from his pockets and stretched it forward to tuck a stray blond lock back behind her ear. She'd shivered and tilted her head into his hand at the feel of his callused fingertips sliding along her cheek as he withdrew. Sam couldn't remember which one of them had stepped closer first but she could recall his eyes falling to her lips and how they'd widened as she'd nervously licked her lips. Seeing him frozen in front of her Sam had almost given in to her desire to kiss him, but she'd chickened out at the last second and given him a quick peck on the cheek instead.

"Thanks" she'd whispered stepping back and fumbling with her house key. Jack had held the screen door for her until she'd gotten most of the way into the house.

"Good night Samantha, be safe" he'd replied as she shut the door behind her.

The rumors flying about school Monday morning about how poor Pete had been beaten up by Samantha Carter's insanely jealous ex had seriously pissed her off, reaffirming that she'd made the right choice by leaving with Jack. That quite moment between the two of them on her front porch, however, had been playing on a constant loop in her head ever since.

* * *

In fact she was reliving the moment once again, of course slightly altered as her dream-self was actually bold enough to kiss Jack, picturing his hooded brown eyes frozen on her soulful blues, when a hand on her shoulder jerked her out of her reverie. Sam twisted her head around to find herself nose to nose with the man of her dreams.

_Right, and that doesn't sound like an overly dramatic teenage girl. Oh great, now I'm blushing, sheesh!_

"Hey Jack" she fumbled. "I must have zoned out. Didn't realize you guys had finished practice already. Coming to dinner?"

"Nah, somebody's gotta stick around and set up for the party tonight. If I left things up to Danny or T all we'd have in the house would be diet coke and cheetos. Somebody has to make sure we have blue jello," Jack said with a wink. "Of course we can't forget the alcohol either. So where are you heading for dinner?"

Sam smiled at Jack's teasing. She'd never grown out of her blue jello phase.

"I thought I'd let Mark decide where, though I did really enjoy that Thai place Danny recommended last time I was up."

"I guess it's ok if you like that kind of stuff. I'd rather have a good ole steak any day. Oops, there's my ride," said Jack gesturing towards the other end of the rink. "I'll catch up with you back at the house."

Sam watched him stride over to the perky, overdressed brunette, slide his arm around her, and lead her out into the night; proud of herself for not being jealous.

_Not jealous, ha, that's a good one Samantha. You really should stop lying to yourself. It's not healthy. Food now. Jack later.

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_

The party was already in full swing when Sam and Mark had returned from dinner. Last year Sam hadn't understood why Mark and the guys had been so excited about finding a house to rent, but now she was beginning to see the point. She'd come to appreciate how rare it was for juniors to snag such spacious digs. Mark, T, Danny, and Jack shared a two story, two bedroom, 1.5 bath place with a large living/dinning area and a well equipped kitchen. As they'd entered the house Mark had grabbed a beer and run off after a woman leaving Sam alone. She headed for the refrigerator where she knew Jack would have left some non-alcoholic blue jello cubes. Sam, who didn't drink yet, poured herself some of T's soda and took it, along with her tray of jello in search of an observation post.

Sam amused herself watching the way Mark and his friends behaved under the influence of alcohol. Danny became considerably more social to the point of disappearing upstairs with a woman who'd been introduced as Janet for a few minutes before returning with his coat and a small bag and heading out the front door with her. Jack and Mark seemed to be considerably less affected, though she spotted both of them in compromising positions throughout the night. Sarah, the brunette from the ice rink spent all evening trying to wrap herself around Jack and Catherine, Mark's current girl, was never far from his side.

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By 1:30 am Sam was tired of watching so she headed upstairs away from the boisterous party to get ready for bed. Sam had just finished changing into her sleep shorts and tank top and brushing her teeth when she heard giggling in the hallway and the distinctive sound of a door clicking shut. She stuck her head out of the bathroom to see that her brother's door was now closed, though she'd purposefully left it ajar.

_Darn it, now where am I supposed to sleep. I can't exactly walk in there and plop down on T's bed. Yuck, I totally don't need to be a party to my brother's sex life. Hmm, Danny didn't seem to be planning on coming back here tonight. I'll go crash in his bed._

Sam fully intended to collapse into Danny's bed and sleep until noon, but a sleepy mumble from the other bed caught her attention. She'd noticed, while doing a final scan of the party, that neither Jack nor Sarah had been downstairs when she left. However she had assumed that they'd left together. Obviously she'd been wrong since Jack was here by himself.

_Mmmm, yummy, _was Sam's initial reaction to half naked Jack tossing restlessly on his bed. _Boy, does he look good. Stop staring Samantha! Get into bed. No, the other bed. Don't go over there. This is a bad idea!_

Sam stopped herself just before her hand came in contact with the bare arm that Jack had thrown over the covers. But then he mumbled something which sounded surprisingly like her name and she couldn't resist leaning down to touch him. That treacherous arm snaked around her waist and pulled, toppling her onto his bed and him. Sam squirmed trying to gather herself from her undignified sprawl, but succeeded only in tangling herself up in Jack's sheets. That and sending ripples of awareness coursing through her body. She froze as Jack whispered huskily in her ear.

"Keep moving like that and I'll be done before you've had your turn. And that would be quite a waste Sam."

_Oh my god! Is he awake? Can't be, otherwise I wouldn't be sprawled over him. He must be dreaming. He can't be having one of **those** dreams about me. Can he? Am I dreaming? He did just say my name? Okay Samantha, move it. Get off this bed and back into the unoccupied one._

But Sam's body refused to obey, and she found herself allowing Jack tuck her in alongside him, head pillowed on one arm, the other still wrapped around her waist. It wasn't long before Sam joined Jack in sleep. Partially because she was exhausted from her long day, but mostly because the sensation of Jack's finger tracing patterns on her lower back was incredibly relaxing.

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**A/N: So? What'd you think? Shall I continue? Suggestions for story development and question of clarification are welcome. I've purposefully not pinned this story to a particular school/location though I do have a mental picture of each of the places mentioned based upon real locations. Also I haven't decided whether or not to introduce the military into this fic. I do have several occasions in their shared history that I plan to flashback to, but none of them are written yet. Let me know.**


	3. Getting out of bed

**They grew up together but will they grow old together?**

**Disclaimer: This story maybe AU but real life is not, so these guys still don't belong to me.

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**Back in Jack's bed **

Jack

"…Weren't you supposed to be sleeping in Mark's room?"

"Theoretically…"

Jack watched a delicate flush spread across Sam's face. She seemed to be remembering things as she thought about how to form her answer.

"I was supposed to sleep on the futon or in Mark or T's bed. There were still too many people around when I wanted to go to bed so I came up here. Then I heard Mark dragging Cath into his room while I was brushing my teeth. I was going to go back downstairs when I remembered that Daniel left earlier with Janet, so I decided to crash in his bed."

"And you ended up in my bed how then?"

_Oh shit, that came out wrong didn't it, _thought Jack as Sam flinched away from him.

"Samantha, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just confused and still half asleep."

His hand on her knee began to move in soothing circles trying to reinforce his words. Jack knew he was usually smoother than this with the ladies, but his words seemed to have dried up over night. He pushed up off the bed and sat Indian style facing her. He struggled to suppress a yawn and grinned sheepishly.

"So…how did you, umm…you know?"

"Well when I came in you were tossing around and muttering like you were having a bad dream. When I touched your shoulder to try to settle you down your arm slid around my back and yanked me on top of you. I tried to get up but…"

Jack looked up from his comforter as Sam paused and took in the darkening color of her cheeks.

"…you made a comment that startled me. When I started to sit up again you were faster. You rolled me to the inside of the bed and draped your arm over me. I was going to wait 'til you had fallen completely back asleep and try to leave again, but I guess I fell asleep first."

Now it was Jack's turn to blush. He vaguely remembered having an indecent dream about Sam last night and he was worried about what exactly he'd said to her. But he couldn't acknowledge that without revealing how, exactly, he thought of her.

_Yeah that'd be a great move Jack. There's no way that Sam the genius wants to hear about your little fantasies. I bet it'd shock the hell out of her if she knew how long she's been staring in your dreams. It's a good thing she was naive enough at thirteen not to realize how much wrestling with her turned you on. Darned if I don't miss it though, she never giggles any more._

Jack hadn't realized that his hand had started to roam from Sam's knee while he thought until he felt her fingers close over his. The silvery blue paint of her nails stood out against his slightly darker skin and complemented the navy sleep shorts they were startlingly close to. Amazed at how far up her thigh his hands had traveled before she stopped them Jack stilled then withdrew his fingers and tried to formulate an adequate comment.

"Man. Samantha, I'm really sorry about all this. First I drag you into my bed and then I proceed to give you the third degree when you wake up in the morning. I'm such a…"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Jack's favorite obnoxious alarm clock cut him off mid-sentence. This time the surprise actually did land him on the floor. Gingerly rubbing his butt Jack rose to his knees and snapped off the alarm. He thought about climbing back into his bed but the sound of Sam giggling hysterically was seriously turning him on so he decided against it and sat back down on the floor.

_God,_ Jack groaned mentally._ That has to be one of the sexiest sounds ever. It's even better than I remember. I could make a ton of money selling recordings of that sound. Between that and her smile I would be a very rich man. Jack, stop checking Sam out! She's not an air headed bimbo you can use and then get rid of. Better just to stay away.

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_

Sam

She couldn't help it. His body had jolted at the sound of the alarm just enough to cause him to loose his balance and topple off the bed. He'd had the cutest look of consternation on his face as his legs had tipped back over his head and her giggles had rushed to the surface too quickly for her to stop them. The fact that he was sitting on the floor pouting only egged her on.

_He looks like a miffed five year old sitting there frowning up at the alarm clock with his arms crossed over his chest. It makes me just want to reach out and pinch his cheeks. Yeah, talk about a bad idea Samantha, he'd probably take that about as well as he takes giggling. But he's not stopping me now _came the response from her inner devil.

Still giggling Sam leaned over the edge of the bed and extended a hand to Jack. He grasped it and pulled, bringing himself to his knees. This brought their faces back into close range quickly stopping Sam's laughter.

_Those eyes should be illegal. They're insanely distracting. _

This time when she licked her lips Jack was the one to close the distance between them.

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Jack

_She's so close, so pretty, so tempting. One little kiss can't hurt anything can it? I just want to share some of her laughter. Come on Jack, you've done this before. Slide a hand around to the back of her neck, lean in slowly and…there you go, nice and easy…_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

_God Damn it! Stupid snooze!_

The moment interrupted Jack pulled away and stood, actually looking at the alarm this time. After he shut it off for good he turned to Sam.

"That was to remind me I have a ROTC distance run this morning. I have to be at the track in, crap, five minutes."

Jack began dashing around his room gathering clothes and shoes. He decided that rather than worrying about changing with Sam in his room he'd just wear his pajama pants running, after all it wouldn't be the first time. He yanked on a long-sleeved t-shirt. Grab some light weight gloves, a hat and his keys before heading towards the bedroom door.

"I should be back in 2 hours, but don't wait around for me. How bout we do lunch? If you're not around the house I'll call your cell after I get out of the shower."

And then he was out the door without even waiting for a response.

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Sam

Sam sat with her head tilted back against the wall working to steady her breathing as Jack rushed around the room preparing to leave. She closed her eyes and let out a big sigh as the door shut firmly behind him.

_Ok, this time it wasn't just me. He was going to kiss me. If that alarm hadn't gone off I'd be kissing Jack, on his bed, alone…Pull it together Samantha. Nothing happened and now the moments over and he's going to be acting like nothing happened. So stop obsessing. Get up and go do something._

Sam reluctantly left the bed, but she didn't want to leave the room without some sign that she'd been there, a subtle reminder to Jack that something had happened. Looking around the room several times she finally settled on a course of action.

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**A/N: So here it is, another kinda short chapter, but the next one will be long I promise. Jack has a lot of stuff to think about during his run. And yes you will get to find out what Sam did, just not yet. I'm quickly becoming addicted to reviews so please leave me more.-) Thanks to those of you who have reviewed so far. I'm glad to hear that you find my little flight of fancy amusing too. I never realized it would be so hard to write an AU story like this one, esp. while watching old eps. I have to keep backing up to erase all the "Sir"s and "Carter"s from the conversation.**


	4. Running in Circles

**Disclaimer: The quantum mirror has still not shown us to the reality in which I'm even remotely in charge of these characters.

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**On the Run**

Jack was glad that this morning's exercise was a long loop run. It meant he didn't have to concentrate, which was good because no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he didn't want to think about the stunning blonde he'd woken up next to part of him had decided that this would be a good time for The Samantha Carter Show. He was only a few miles into the run when he finally gave up fighting himself. His body went on autopilot and his attention turned to the movie playing in his mind.

10 miles left

He'd been a cocky 14 year old, impressed with himself because he was playing roller hockey with some of the older guys on his block, the first time he'd seen her. They'd had to move the game down the street from where they usually played because of the moving van parked across from his house for the past two days. Of course everyone was curious about the new neighbors, but only the moving people had been around so they'd just started their game as usual. Two hours later they'd been wrapping up because of the dying light when he'd gotten the ball on a breakaway. He'd been going for the game winning goal when one of the older guys, George maybe, had hip checked him hard. Jack had gone down in an undignified sprawl, scrapping his palms and knees in the process. The first thing he'd noticed as he'd peeled himself aching from the pavement was a slim waif of a girl with shinning blonde hair and the dying sun reflecting in bright blue eyes. The effect had made her appear almost insubstantial. In that moment he'd known that he would be tied to her forever. Then she'd broken the moment by speaking.

"Nice shot but you wouldn't have fallen if your center of gravity had been lower to the ground. I'm Samantha, but you can call me Sam. This is my brother Mark. What's your name?"

She'd been a pistol even back then, intelligence, good humor, and an innocent joy in life shinning from her eyes. The sight of a boy's hand reaching down to help him up had brought Jack's attention to the boy next to Samantha, Sam. Mark, he'd noticed, was about his age with brown hair, and bright blue eyes that marked him as Sam's brother.

"That was some header there man. If you guys always play that rough I'm going to need to get some new pads."

From then on the two boys had been practically inseparable, bonding over their love of sports, with little Sam tagging along after them. As they'd grown up what had started with that instant spark of recognition on Jack's part had evolved into a huge soft spot and a protective streak a mile wide. He'd taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her, all the while denying the possibility that he had anything other than strictly brotherly intentions.

7 miles to go

He had three years to bury the truth, not acknowledging even the possibility of its existence before it had forced its way to the surface. It had been the last week of the summer before his senior year of high school. He'd been in California with his family celebrating his father's promotion for the past two weeks. The first thing he'd done the morning after his family's late night return was to head across the street to the Carters' house. He'd gone around back and knocked on the door before he remembered that Mark was probably already at work. Sam's voiced had called that the door was open and he should let himself in. He'd found her, standing in the family room, wearing only a bikini. Her back was arched and her arms contorted as she tried to apply sunscreen to those hard to reach places on her back. He'd stared at her profile fascinated until she'd turned to him and burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, where's Jack? All I see is a lobster."

He'd stuck his tongue out at her and stepped closer trying to focus on the blob of sunscreen on her shoulder. He'd teased:

"Here, let me help you out with that. Otherwise we'll make quite the pair, a ghost and a lobster."

Sam had still been giggling as he'd turned her around and finished spreading the sunscreen over her shoulders. It had been the amused grin she'd tossed back over her shoulder that had sent his hands lower to grab her sides and tickle. He'd tried to convince himself it was just innocent fun, but the feel of her bare skin in his hands and her gasping breath on his neck as she turned to counter attack had destroyed that cover. Then she'd tripped backwards over the corner of the coffee table trying to get away and they'd both been sent sprawling on the couch. His hard landing on top of her had reminded him, painfully, of how much she'd matured in the past few months. He'd pushed away quickly before her squirming could cause him to react in a manner even she couldn't fail to notice.

_Shit! Carter's going to kill me if he ever finds out I just basically groped his sister and enjoyed it. I can't be attracted to Sam. She's just a kid still, at least mentally. God she's beautiful, sitting there laughing. Stop staring Jack. No more looking, and definitely no more touching! Time to go, now!_

He'd made a clumsy excuse about needing to finish unpacking and ran for the door. Ignoring the confusion and hurt playing across her face. After that he'd made an effort to avoid spending time alone with her, which had been made easier by the start of school. It had been a few months before she'd been able to catch him alone. He hadn't been able to resist her when she'd begged him for an explanation, tears threatening in her young eyes.

"Jack, what did I do wrong? You haven't talked to me since the summer. I miss you. Mark never takes the time to answer my questions and he hates star gazing."

He'd taken her in his arms and hugged her until the tears retreated. He'd apologized profusely telling her that it wasn't anything she'd done. He'd promised to go star gazing with her at least once every other week. Those times were a bitter sweet memory for him. She'd been in his arms more often than not, huddled up against the cold, so that they could share the same telescope on the clear winter nights. He was perversely proud of the fact that she'd never seemed to notice how tense or awkward he felt.

5 miles

It had gotten easier once he'd left for college. He didn't have to see her every day and wonder if that day would be the one where he'd get caught. He wasn't sure anymore whether he was more afraid of Sam's reaction or Mark's. At school he'd only dated brunettes and tried to pretend that the stunning blonde who starred in his raciest dreams was not his 15 year old neighbor. The summer after his freshman year had been pure torture. She'd been everywhere; lying out at the beach, running through the neighborhood, stretching out and giggling with her friend Cassie down at the swim docks before practice. He'd deliberately taken a job at school last summer to avoid the increasing temptation that was Samantha Carter.

4 miles

Of course being away had meant that he no longer had the opportunity to look out for her like she deserved. He'd only found out that she'd started dating because Mark had dropped a reference to Sam and her boyfriend Jonas into the conversation one evening. He'd been surprised at how much that news had hurt, but covered his reaction with the appropriate, polite, friend of the family response. He'd started dating Sarah in August, finally giving in to her after two years of borderline stalking on her part. He'd never really mentioned her to Sam since he'd still been following his avoidance policy. He'd finally convinced himself that he was over Sam when the most recent, other than last night, incident had occurred.

3 miles

He'd brought Sarah home for fall break since she had no family close enough by to visit easily in the two day vacation. They gone out for dinner and had of course been late to the movie. He'd had them situated in what seemed to be the last two seats in the theater before he'd noticed Sam sitting immediately in front of them, on what appeared to be a date of her own. He'd tried to focus on the inane romantic comedy playing on the screen in front of him, but he'd been distracted by being this close to Sam after so long. If he hadn't been paying such close attention to her he would have missed the first tussle between Sam and her date. He'd been so focused on the couple in front of him that he'd missed Sarah's glare. Then the creep had tried to slide his hand up Sam's thigh and under her shirt for the second time that evening. His protective streak had taken over and he'd used his training to numb the guys arm before threatening him and following Sam out of the theater, having completely forgotten about Sarah.

2 miles

Driving Sam home had felt right, not at all awkward, until they'd reached her front door and she'd tried to thank him and apologize. He'd stopped her by reaching a hand out to smooth back a stray lock of hair, he couldn't help himself. He'd found himself lost in the troubled depths of her baby blues as he savored the feel of his palm sliding along her cheek. For a moment, as she'd leaned closer, he'd imagined that Sam was going to kiss him. He wasn't sure whether his quick exhalation had been a plea or a thanksgiving when her lips had landed on his cheek instead. After she'd been safely inside he'd collapsed on her front steps trying to figure it out until his cell phone had rung.

1 mile

Sarah hadn't been very happy with his half-hearted apology, but it was all he gave her. They'd had a rather rocky relationship the past few months. Sarah had thrown herself back into the pursuit and Jack had sat back and let her do as she pleased neither encouraging nor discouraging her. Then Mark had mentioned that Sam was going to be staying for a weekend visit. He'd purposefully planned a big party for that weekend to distract himself from the possibilities of her, reminding himself of all his self-imposed limits. The last thing he could remember from the previous night was a quiet battle of wills with Sarah as his icy glare had convinced her that he'd meant it when he'd said he was sleeping in his bed, by himself, that night. He'd breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah had left without causing a scene. He'd considered saying goodnight to Sam, but had decided avoidance was probably still his best bet and gone to his room alone. But somehow fate had conspired, he wasn't sure for or against him, and she'd ended up in his arms and in his bed this morning.

Back at the beginning

Now he was heading back to that room with trepidation, not sure what he expected to find waiting for him. Part of him was hoping that Sam would still be there, in his bed. The more honorable part hoped she'd be long gone. He didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from acting on his attraction to her if they spent much more time together. If he hadn't accidentally turned on the snooze this morning he might have been significantly later for his run. Battling increasing nerves Jack let himself into the quiet house and headed upstairs. He opened the door to his room slowly and then stopped on the threshold to his room in complete shock. While Danny's half of the room remained a complete mess, his side had been straightened. His bed was made with precise military corners and on the center of his bed were a bunch of origami figures. There were seven stars laid out in the shape of the Big Dipper pointing towards his pillow where an eighth star lay. Jack fumbled his way into his desk chair amazed. The Big Dipper and the North Star had been the first stars he'd ever shown Sam how to locate in the night sky.

She'd caught him setting up the new telescope he'd received that Christmas and she'd pestered him with questions until he'd finally agreed to show her how it worked and what was 'so interesting up there'. That New Years Eve when the Carter's had come over to celebrate he'd bundled her up and taken her out to the widow's walk where he'd decided to keep the telescope. He'd pointed out the Big Dipper and how it led to the North Star, a constant light in the night sky to keep the world anchored. She'd been so excited by the view asking him more and more questions that before he'd realized it it had been almost midnight. The muted sound of a count down had brought him back to earth and the exhausted pixie next to him. He'd given her a soft Happy New Years kiss on the forehead and carried her back down to her family. It had been the first of many similar star gazing sessions over the years.

_What am I going to do now? Oh for crying out loud Jack, go get in the shower. You stink, and you'd promised Samantha you'd meet her for lunch. Wipe that goofy grin off your face and move. You'll never figure out what comes next sitting here on your ass!

* * *

_

**A/N: Okay, so I know not much happened, but I hope you enjoyed getting a little more background on this budding relationship, at least from Jack's perspective. And hopefully the age difference early on isn't squicking ppl out, at least not more than its bugging Jack. On the topic of using Carter to refer to Sam I don't think it would fit the characters as written. Given that Mark and Jack are close friends and they play on at least one sports team together, I think it'd be much more likely that Mark's nickname would be Carter, while everyone just sticks with Sam.**

**Thanks to all those who've taken the time to write a review, esp. those of you have done it more than once. Please do it again, esp. as I'm still new enough to this to doubt my skill. Of course if you don't like please tell me that to, but at least give me a specific thing to work on. **

**That's all for now as I should probably get some work work done today.**


	5. Group Interactions

**Disclaimer: Still not in charge of any of these characters.**

**Spoilers: Nope…still AU**

**Tagline: They grew up together but will they grow old together?**

**A/N: Since I've received a number of requests for clarification on this point… There is a four year age difference but only a three grade difference between Jack and Sam. Jack and Mark are the same age/grade as college juniors. Sam is a high school senior currently applying to colleges. Also the first four chapters have been adapted very minutely to accommodate a suggestion by GateSeeker2. And now on with the show…**

**

* * *

**

Sam

After she'd finished setting up Jack's room Sam decided that she needed a run too. Normally she preferred a mind-numbing swimming practice but she couldn't do that here so she slipped into Mark's room and grabbed some clothes. She changed in the bathroom and then took off on the small loop around campus that Mark had shown her on a previous visit.

_Well that was awkward. I never dreamed that that was how I'd end up waking up next to Jack. At least now I know he's not completely unaffected even if he isn't really interested. I never really expect guys to be interested. I'm smart, athletic, and outspoken it tends to scare guys I suppose. Jonas was nice enough, but we make better friends. Pete was just a mistake, one of those guys who are only after an easy lay, but covers it up with all the right words. I'm glad Jack was there for that one. It always seems to come back to him. He was my first crush. Is it wrong to hope that he'll be my last?_

With that question, easily answerable to anyone but the person asking it, Sam found herself back at the guys' house. T was now moving around the kitchen and Mark and Catherine were sitting on one of the couches coffees in hand. Sam waved at the trio and headed upstairs to shower.

* * *

Thankfully Sam had brought her change of clothes into the bathroom with her because as she left after her shower to head back to Mark's room she bumped into Daniel.

"Woah Danny, sorry. Didn't mean to knock you over there."

"Wha…um, no all my fault, wasn't looking where I was going. Sam, have you seen my glasses? I can't find them."

"Did you bring them back from Janet's?"

"Jan's? Why would they be at…oh I guess I was wearing them last night huh? I better go call her then."

Sam didn't bother hiding her smile as Daniel headed back to his and Jack's room. Danny was an incredibly intelligent guy and a total sweetheart but sometimes he seemed to have no common sense whatsoever. She didn't really know much about Janet, as the two had only recently begun dating, but she hoped the other woman was firmly grounded. Otherwise the two would never get anywhere. With that thought Sam headed downstairs.

* * *

"Good day Samantha Carter. Was your sleep restful? Do you require nourishment or beverage?"

"Morning T. I am a little hungry. Could you pour me some OJ? I'm just going to grab a handful of cereal."

"Hey Sam, would you mind bringing the bag over here with you? Cath and I haven't had anything to eat yet this morning."

"Sure bro. By the way, thanks for making sure there was no place for me to sleep last night."

Sam stuck her tongue out at Mark as she walked over with the cereal bag. She considered dumping it on his head for a moment but settled for just throwing a handful at him.

"Sorry Sam, it's my fault. If I'd been thinking I'd have brought Mark back to my place. It's only just down the street. What did you have planned for today? Other than going to the hockey game tonight?"

"I hadn't really thought about it Cath. I know it sounds childish, but I was thinking it might be fun if the bunch of us went to the Crayola factory."

"What is this factory of which you speak Samantha Carter?"

"You've been here for three years and nobody's explained this to you before T? At the Crayola factory you get to see how they make crayons and markers and then there is an area where you can play with other Crayola products."

"Sounds like fun to me," came Janet's voice from the front hall. "Hi y'all. Daniel forgot his glasses at my place again. Anybody know where he is?"

A clatter caused everyone's attention to shift to the stairs as the man in question stumbled down the final few.

"Oh good… Jan, you didn't happen to bring my glasses over with you?"

"Of course Daniel. So how about going the Crayola factory? I suggest grabbing some food before heading downtown."

A chorus of assent greeted Janet's suggestion and the group moved to gather their belongings.

* * *

A little while later their food was spread over several tables in the student center. Sam was listening to Janet and Catherine while the guys were dissecting some sports game from the previous evening. Actually, Mark was doing most of the talking while T and Daniel nodded along. In the back of her mind, Sam was beginning to wonder nervously whether Jack was actually going to call. Janet interrupted her musings.

"So Sam, do you actually want to come to school here or are you just visiting to humor your parents?"

"Oh no, I adore it here. Mark and Jack have seemed so happy here and the college has a great reputation in the sciences. Also I could actually make the swim team here and I really like the coach."

"You mentioned the sciences; do you know what you want to major in already? I'm premed/biochemistry but I won't officially declare until next year since I'm only a freshman. Cath here's majoring in psychology like Jack."

"I was considering physics, astronomy, or electrical engineering. There are so many possibilities. I'd like to be an astronaut someday, go into space. There's just something about stars that fascinates me."

"You and Jack," laughed Catherine. "Granted, they're very nice to look at, but I'm not sure I care to know what's out there."

"Actually Jack's the one who got me interested in stargazing. When he was home we had this routine where I'd go over every other week or so and we'd spend a few hours looking at different phenomena."

"Oh, so you're the star buddy he's always complaining about missing. He was particularly annoying last New Years when the guys had to be around for hockey. I believe he said something about a tradition?"

Sam blushed slightly. "Yeah, every year since I was 10 our families have had New Years parties together and Jack and I always skip out around 11 to go look at the stars."

"Oh, that's so cute Sam. Isn't it Cath? Not to change the subject too much but are there any guys in your life other than Jack?"

"Now Janet, that's none of our business."

"Sorry Sam. I'm just curious, and I have this feeling we'll be great friends if you end up coming to school here, so I want to get a head start on getting to know you."

"Its fine Janet, and no, I'm not seeing anyone right now. I dated this guy Jonas last year but we decided we'd make better friends. Now he's going with my friend Cassie. A little while ago I was considering dating another guy, but he was a totally jerk. He tried to feel me up in a movie theater on our first date. Ugh."

Catherine's mouth pursed.

"Oooh. So you're the reason for the interrupted date. No wonder Sarah wasn't too happy when she heard you were coming to visit. That explains a lot about why she and Jack got into a fight last night."

"They had a fight? I didn't hear anything."

"Well it was more of a staring contest than anything else. Sarah had been trying to get him to go back to her place and he flat out turned her down. She started to get insistent but he just stared her down. She left in a huff."

Sam was starting to feel a little bad about prying into Jack's life like this. He'd given her no indication that there was any reason for her to care. She did feel better knowing that the stunning brunette had been kicked out instead of doing the kicking. Janet chose that moment to chime in.

"I never liked her anyways. She was an unbearable snob, and she had no respect for those of us who worked hard to get where we are. On a nicer note I think everyone's finished eating. Why don't we head out?"

At that moment Mark's phone began to ring.

"Hey Jack. Whatcha up to?"

"We're just finishing up lunch. We were going to head down to the Crayola factory. Interested?"

"We'll wait for you here."

"Hey Sam, Jack says he's sorry, he couldn't find your number."

* * *

The group cleared their tables and went back to pick up some sweets while they waited for Jack to join them. Sam had had enough gossip for the moment so she sat down with Daniel this time.

"So how're classes going Danny?"

"Busy. It's hard to make sure I get all the required courses in because of my double major. You'd think more people would overlap between Anthropology and Ancient Civ. And then there are all the languages I wish I had time to learn. It's all so fascinating though, the ancient mythologies and how it impacted the evolving cultures. Sometimes I get so wrapped up I forget to eat or sleep unless Jan reminds me. She's so strict about those things."

Daniel winked and smiled at Janet, giving Sam the feeling that this was a running joke between the two of them. She couldn't help but smile in response. The couple was obviously good together, each balancing the other. However Sam was getting slightly nervous. Jack would be there any minute and she had no idea how he'd taken her…decoration.

* * *

She wasn't going to get a chance to find out either. As soon as she spotted Jack, Janet began hustling the group out of the student center and into two cars.

"Jack you're with me and Daniel. T why don't you and Sam go with Mark and Catherine? Jack you can eat your sub in the car."

* * *

**A/N 2: Hope you guys liked a little more interaction with the other characters. For further clarification: Janet is a freshman, so she's only been dating Daniel for 3 months. Daniel is a junior like Mark and Jack, while Catherine's a sophomore. Let me know if any of the conversations were confusing or if there are any other questions on character relationships. Next chapter coming soon.**


	6. Fun with Colors

**Disclaimer: I have no ties to the people that actually have control of the people or products mentioned herein.**

**A/N: So the Crayola factory does exist (Easton, PA) and it was a whole bunch of fun when I was there so I thought it'd make an interesting set piece for this story. So here we have some more Dan/Jan and some slight progress in the SJR.

* * *

**

**The Crayola Factory**

Jack

It had taken about ten minutes for the group to drive downtown, park, and head into the factory. They'd had to wait a few minutes between purchasing their tickets and heading upstairs and Jack had tried to get over to Sam, but Janet had trapped him.

"Hey Jack. Have a good run this morning? Excited about the game tonight? The whole gang's coming to watch you guys."

"Thanks Janet. I'm always a little nervous before the first game of the season, even if it should be an easy one."

"Tickets 103 through 120 may now proceed upstairs to the factory," came the announcement over the speakers.

"Well that's us."

* * *

Since no one in the group had been to the Crayola factory before they all gawked a little as they entered the factory. There were two giant enclosures in the large room decorated in primary colors, oversized drawing tools, and company memorabilia. In one enclosure there was a setup for making crayons. The other enclosure contained a machine used to fill markers. The group gathered around the tour guide explaining how crayon wax was heated, colored, and poured over a complex mold. The machine behind her ran noisily while she explained, creating a fresh batch of wrapped red crayons, which the woman handed out to the waiting crowd.

Jack grabbed a few extra crayons and headed towards Sam, but this time T interrupted him.

"Jack O'Neil, this machine is most fascinating, but what is the purpose of these crayons?"

"Well T, they're for playing with."

"How does one play with colored sticks?"

"They're for drawing. There are several colors that come in a box together and children use them to create pictures."

"And what is the purpose of these pictures?"

"They are for fun and decoration. Usually the children's parents display them on the refrigerator or keep them in books."

"I see O'Neil. An interesting tradition."

As always Jack was amused to find his speech becoming more formal to match T's mannerisms. He looked around for Sam this time spotting her near the other enclosure. Here a man was explaining that once the plastic shell of the marker had been cast it was transferred to another part of the plant to be filled. The machine behind him held several rows of soon to be green markers. Jack wormed his way through the crowd to until he was standing next to Sam.

"It's a fascinating process isn't it? I never realized how many steps there were to creating a single marker. Would you like me to get you one, Samantha?"

"Sure Jack. Thanks."

* * *

After the production room, the group moved on to the color room. In this room there was a wall screen that showed movement in color. Based on some sort of complicated sensor system, which Jack was sure Sam could explain if he asked, a green screen wall would change color based on how fast the person standing in front of it moved. Jack heard Sam start to giggle as Mark tried to tackle T but ended up knocking Daniel over instead.

_Okay Jack, stop thinking about that giggle. Stay where you are. Go talk to Catherine. Do not go tickle Sam. You are not to put your hands on her in front of Carter. Oooh that feels good. I love the man who decided women should wear low rise jeans they make it soo much harder to not show some skin._

Jack had snuck up behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hands along her stomach and causing a fresh burst of giggles.

* * *

Sam

_I can't believe what a clutz Danny is. How did he manage to get in Mark's way? Need to stop laughing. Jack's here; can't giggle. Oh forget it, look at those two scrambling around on the floor. Okay, who just…oh no, not going to be able to stop giggling now. Jack's tickling me. Not fair. I can't even turn around…hmm, maybe if I grab his hands._

Sam slid her hands down Jack's arms and laced her finger's with his, effectively preventing them from torturing her further while locking herself firmly in his embrace. Neither of them noticed that Janet, Catherine, and T were no longer watching Mark and Daniel pull themselves off the floor.

_I didn't realize that standing in Jack's arms would be so comfortable. This feels right.

* * *

_

Jack

_Silky, smooth Sam skin. Feels nice. Okay, Mark has gotten up; I need to stop holding her now. This'd work better if she'd let go. Oh shit! Now they're all watching us._

"Jack, what are you doing to my sister?"

Sam released his fingers and sprang forward quickly causing Mark to grin widely. He bent and dusted himself off then reached out to help Daniel off the floor. Janet and Catherine were barely hiding grins of their own. T, as always, merely stood by watching.

_Crap! Carter is going to let me have it now! Think Jack. Speak. Do something other than blush, look guilty, and shuffle your feet. Samantha's so going to take this the wrong way. Two steps back, one step to the side. Good now she's out of reach. But I want to hold Sam. She felt nice._

"I believe now would be a good time to proceed to the next activity. Do you not agree Jack O'Neil?"

"Good idea T. Let's move along folks. How bout we go play with the glass wall over there."

* * *

Sam

_Stop staring at him Samantha. It's bad enough that Janet and Catherine have probably already guessed about your crush, you don't need Mark knowing too. But he looks so gorgeous right now, all embarrassed and uncomfortable. I didn't realize that could be attractive on a guy._

Jack pointed to the other end of the room where a glass wall stood covered in writings and drawings. Large multi-tonal tubs stood on either end of the wall filled with markers. People stood around writing their favorite quotes or doodling idly. Janet started drawing benzene rings and other chemical structures. Catherine wrote, "The goal of all life is death.—Freud." Sam's eyes slipped over to Jack. He appeared to be drawing stars on the board.

_I wonder what he's drawing. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…I'd should have figured it out earlier. _

"You seem to have a penchant for that constellation Jack. It's one of my favorites as well."

"So I've seen Samantha. I wanted to thank you for reminding me how much it meant to me."

_What is that supposed to mean? He liked my little display this morning? He remembers that first New Years? I already knew that from Catherine earlier. He smells good. _

"I'm glad you liked the stars Jack."

Sam placed a quick kiss on his cheek and skipped off to another room, throwing a mischievous glance back over her shoulder. Huge windows lit the airy space full of tables colored in crayons and markers and surrounded by children of all ages. There were stacks of white paper and tubs of Crayola modeling clay. Daniel was sitting with one arm over Janet's shoulders, drawing.

"Hey Sam, come look at this picture Daniel's drawn."

Sam leaned over Janet's shoulder to see an image in several shades of tan depicting a spaceship hovering over a pyramid.

"Danny, what made you come up with that?"

"I don't know where it came from. It just popped into my mind."

"Unusual indeed, Daniel Jackson."

"Hey, T, what is that you've sculpted there?" asked Mark.

"I do not know Mark Carter. It would appear to be a weapon of some sort. I am unfamiliar with its origins."

He was holding a long skinny object with bulbous ends. The group studied Daniel's picture and T's sculpture for a few moments. Then Jack shrugged his shoulders and turned away. Catherine began collecting a variety of colors of crayons into plastic bags for the friends to take back with them.

"Guys I think we should get going now. The boys need to get back to the house and start getting ready for their game," called Catherine from across the room.

Janet checked her watch, surprised to see that nearly three hours had passed since they'd arrived.

"As much as I hate to break up this party, Catherine's right. It's almost four and Mark and Jack are supposed to be at the rink by six."

* * *

The group left the factory and piled back into the cars. When they returned to the house Daniel promptly buried his nose in a stack of books. T went upstairs to meditate. Jack and Mark went off to pack up their stuff for the game, while Catherine and Janet took Sam for an impromptu makeover.

"Cath, Janet, I don't think this is necessary. Really, I don't need a makeover. I'm fine the way I am thanks."

"Now Sam, no buts. Janet and I need something to do before the game, besides you know you want to see Jack's reaction."

* * *

**A/N: I couldn't resist throwing in some references to the characters' _real_ lives. As always please R&R with praise, comments, clarifications, questions, or criticisms. Thanks.**


	7. Game on

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them or anything to do with them, not even the DVDs.**

**A/N: Ok ppl feed my addiction. Please. Only two reviews from the last two chapters, we can do better than that. You're lucky I was on a roll this weekend. I've got another chapter or so planned out, but after that…  
S****o now that the threats are out of the way here's the story.

* * *

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**Game on**

Jack

Jack was more than a little nervous. But not so much about the hockey game that would be starting shortly, more about the fact that Janet and Catherine had dragged Sam off laughing as soon as the group had returned to campus, over two hours ago. Now as he sat on the bench waiting for the game to start he scanned the crowd for his friends. He'd assumed Sam would sit with T, Daniel, Catherine, and Janet in their traditional spots behind the home team's bench. They weren't there. He finally spotted them sitting much farther away than usual, several rows up behind one of the goals. Daniel and T seemed to be holding three empty seats between them.

_I wonder where the girls are. Leave it to them to be late to the first game of the season. What have they been up to all afternoon? Oops, focus Jack, coach is calling. Time to go play.

* * *

_

At the end of the first period the team was leading 2-0, but they had had to work harder than anticipated. Consequently Jack had yet to spot Sam in the crowd.

"Oh, there's Catherine. I didn't realize they'd moved."

Jack followed Mark's gaze back to the place where he'd seen Daniel and T earlier. All of the seats were full but he didn't recognize the blonde who was conversing animatedly with Janet.

_Where's Sam? Did Janet bring some other friend along? They seem pretty close. I wonder if I've met her before. I don't remember any blondes with curly hair. If she'd just turn her head this way a little…_

As if in response to his thought Sam paused in her conversation with Janet and turned to look in his direction. Jack's jaw dropped. Given what he could distinguish from this distance she looked stunning.

_Wow! They curled her hair. Kinky! There's something about her eyes too. She looks like she's glowing. Those girls know their stuff. I wonder wha…hey!_

"That hurt Carter!"

"Earth to Jack! Coach has called us three times, we're supposed to be on the ice right now. Who were you checking out? My girl or my sister? Know what don't answer that. We need to get in the game."

* * *

Sam

The second and third periods had gone much like the first, though Jack had seemed less focused. Sam had caught him glancing up at her instead of watching the puck occasionally. In the end, distracted Jack or not, the team had won by a score of 5-2. Sam had enjoyed watching the game, even her little session with the girls before hand had relaxed her.

The first thing Catherine and Janet had done after dragging her back to their dorm was to raid their closets. They'd finally settled on an outfit consisting of a tight black tank covered with a sheer floral patterned v-neck in oranges and yellows paired with a tight, knee length, khaki skirt. A pair of brown leather boots completed the ensemble. Then while Catherine had fussed with Sam's makeup, Janet had curled her hair. Sam had been nervous through the whole process as she wasn't used to giving up control. However, she'd had to admit that the girls had done a wonderful job when she saw the results.

Now she was nervous again. She would havepreferedto return to the guys' house after the game ended but Catherine and Janet had insisted she stay and keep Catherine company while she waited for Mark. Consequently Catherine had been talking Sam's ear off for the past half hour, rehashing every play of the game. The two were leaning on the exit doors across the lobby from the locker room when Mark and Jack walked out.

_They must have just gotten out of the showers. His hair's still damp. It looks so good at this length, short. Would he let me run my hands through it? Probably not, well maybe just to humor me. He's never going to notice me. Not even after all the work that Janet and Catherine put in this afternoon. Why did he just stop moving? He's staring. Is his mouth open? What's going on?

* * *

_

Jack

_Gulp! I didn't realize she would look this good. Pull it together Jack! Carter's standing right next to you and he's already started to figure out enough. She looks…gorgeous! Stunning! Sexy as hell! I wouldn't have thought those colors could make blue eyes look so big and enticing. Move Jack! Now! One foot in front of the other, slow and steady towards the door.

* * *

_

Sam

It seemed like forever before Jack began to move again, though in reality it had only been fifteen seconds or so. His eyes were locked on Sam's.

_Am I dreaming this? That look in his eyes, his hesitation, they can't be real. All these years and he's never even hinted…_

"Samantha…"

_God, the sound of his voice. Knees weakening, shivers running down my spine. He's the only person who uses my full name. I thought I'd learned all his tones, but this is different, new. Somewhere between frustration, laughter, and tenderness, what is it? Smile Samantha, meet him halfway._

Mark and Catherine stood to the side, arms wrapped around each other, watching the drama unfolding before them, amused. Jack and Sam stared at each other, moving slowly together, oblivious to the world outside them. Jack reached out a hand to toy with one of Sam's carefully constructed curls as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Sam…you…I…wow!"

"uh…thanks Jack."

_He's doing it again, sliding his palm over my chin, trapping me in his eyes. Maybe this time…he's leaning in._

They each took a half step forward, closing the remaining distance between them. Jack's other hand slid around Sam's waist smoothing along the hem of her shirt. His lips lowered to brush hers lightly. Jack lifted his head to change the angle of the kiss and Mark chose that moment to interrupt.

"Hey Jack, as much as I love watching you man-handle my sister…do you think we could get this show on the road?"

Startled out of their reverie Jack removed his hand from Sam's waist and tried to draw back. Sam surprised him by leaning forward to return the intimate brush of lips before stepping away.

_I can't believe that just happened. Jack just kissed me, finally. Too bad it was in front of Mark. I'm never going to hear the end of this. At least he doesn't look upset. I wonder how far I can take this._

Sam reached her right hand out to Jack's left. She turned her palm to his and laced their fingers together for the second time that day.

"All right Mark, where to next?"

* * *

**A/N 2: Yeah I know that was short, but I need some sleep before work. More coming soon though it may be another short shot as these two were originally going to be one chap.**


	8. Tadition

**Disclaimer: Still haven't found a way to make them mine, so I'm just playing.

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**

The Visit  
Chapter 8: Traditions  
PhDelicious

Sam

"It's party time kids."

Mark knocked on the door of a duplex a few blocks down from the guys' house. The front door opened inwards revealing a short hallway leading to a room full of people. Mark, Catherine, Jack and Sam were greeted by an already drunk Daniel.

"Hey guys you're just in time. George is trying to get everyone downstairs."

"George?" asked Sam.

"George Hammond is the primary occupant of this residence and the leader of the hockey team. He is hosting tonight's festivities."

"Thanks for filling me in T."

The foursome followed the rest of the party goers down into the basement. The rickety wooden stairs ended only a few feet from the middle of the long stone wall forming one side of the room. To the left as she came down the stairs Sam noticed a circle of couches and chairs surrounding a low table holding several cases. To her right was a large open space edged by a bar and a ping-pong table. People were filling in this space as they came down off the stairs. As the last person down the stairs, George closed the basement door and stopped on the bottom step. A slight Texas twang colored his speech.

"All right folks, its time to get this show on the road before the crowds arrive. T, you're on door duty this year. No one else is allowed in before midnight. Hockey boys, front and center, it's time to pick your sponsors."

The 25 members of the hockey team separated themselves from their close friends and headed to the stairs. They lined up in front of George, except for Mark and Jack who were handing out bottles of champagne to their teammates. George addressed the team and their friends.

"For those of you who are here for the first time tonight please allow me to explain. Since we're a small team with only ourselves to rely on every year we take this opportunity to expand our support group. Every member of the team chooses a sponsor to help them through the season. A sponsor can be anyone not on the team, male or female. It should be someone you are comfortable talking to and someone who will still be around at the end of the season. Now guys go give your bottle to the person you'd like to be your sponsor, and be nice. They can say no."

The guys began to filter through the basement. Some, like Mark and George, made their way straight to their girlfriends. Others headed over to small clusters of their guy friends. Jack stood still staring around the room until his eyes caught Sam's and held. A question flashed from him to her.

_Did he just ask me it I wanted to be his sponsor? Jack wants me? I wonder why I've never heard of this 'tradition' before. Why is he asking me now? Who was his sponsor for the past two years? Do I really want to know? Here he comes.

* * *

_

Jack

Jack's eyes never left Sam as he threaded his way through the crowded basement.

_That smile was a yes right? She looked…almost shy. She's never been shy around me before. It makes her look even younger, more vulnerable, than usual. Damn it Samantha! My conscience is bothering me enough already. How is it you're still single? Looking so sexy should be illegal for someone her age._

"Samantha, could you…would you please do me the honor of being my sponsor?"

Jack rushed on without waiting for her reply.

"I mean, if you want to. You don't have to…I would completely understand if you aren't interested. I know it's a lot to ask and you have no reason to…"

Sam reached up and placed her hand over his mouth, silencing his flood of words.

"Jack, Ssh. Of course I'll sponsor you. Are you sure you really want me?"

Jack kissed her fingers lightly and moved her hand to his cheek.

"I should think the answer would be obvious by now Samantha."

With that Jack leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Sam's mouth before pulling back. As he handed Sam his bottle of champagne George's voice rang out over the assembly again.

"Now y'all, the hockey players and their sponsors must head upstairs. Before you leave the basement see Janet. You may go anywhere you want but remember guys, you may only talk to your sponsors until midnight. The rest of you feel free to stay down here and enjoy yourselves. When everyone gets back we'll break into those bottles and have some toasts."

_I can't believe Samantha agreed to this. She looks so beautiful tonight. How can she think that I wouldn't want her? How can she not have realized what she does to me, has done to me for all these years?_

Mark turned from where he stood with Catherine, in front of Janet, and smiled at Jack who still held Sam's hand to his cheek.

_Carter seems to be okay with this. Samantha hasn't objected yet either. Is she really interested in me? Is this something that could last? Or am I just a passing crush?_

Now Jack and Sam stood in front of Janet. Jack took Sam's hand from his cheek and held it out to Janet. She took hold of their wrists and tied them together with black satin ribbon. Sam looked somewhat confused as Jack led her back upstairs past a smiling Janet. He could swear he heard her whisper to Daniel.

"It's good to see him looking so happy."

_I don't want this to just be a crush for her. I don't think I could stand it if this didn't work out and I lost her friendship too. She is my tether, my innocence, and my link to happy memories no matter what. I can't shatter that. Can I really risk this?

* * *

_

Sam

Sam's tug on their linked hands brought Jack's attention out of his musings. She gestured to the small landing where the back stairs to the second floor turned to follow the building's outer wall, and sat with her legs stretched across the stairwell. Jack lowered himself next to her on the landing and draped his arm over her shoulder. Sam shifted so that her attached arm lay across her chest, her hand covering his on her shoulder. She cast a sideways glance at him before placing her head on his shoulder.

"So now that I've already agreed to this…what am I actually supposed to do as your sponsor?"

"Well…first you get to give my toast when we go back down there. Then after keeping you tied to me all night I get to take you home with me and do whatever I want to you."

_He's kidding right? Not that there isn't a certain thrill to that thought…do I want him to be kidding? Umm…umm…come on Samantha say something. Stop just opening and closing your mouth like a landed fish._

Sam tilted her head up to look at Jack and met warm brown eyes filled with a mixture of laughter, desire, tenderness, and contentment. Her confusion and uncertainty were plain in her own eyes causing Jack to relent. With a quiet laugh and a small smile, much different than his usual smirk Jack continued.

"Actually it's more the other way around. You're the one in control. Even after you decide to untie us I still have to do anything you ask me to until morning. Last year one of the guys had to run from here to the student center and back in his boxers. That's what you get for choosing a frat boy as your sponsor."

_Does that mean he's always had girls as his sponsors? Did he sleep with them? Mark's never mentioned any girlfriends. He's never brought anyone…utoh. He brought Sarah home for their last break. Did she expect to be here tonight? Would this have been her second time? ... No Samantha, you are not going to ask him about that. You are not going to think about that._

"Jack, why do sponsors still have to be around at the end of the season?"

"We do this again after the final game of the year to wrap up the season. But at that party, if my season's gone well and you decide that I've achieved my goals, I get to be in charge."

"Goals?"

"Yeah, that's one of the things we're supposed to talk about tonight. They can be anything. How many goals do I want to score this season? What grades am I trying to get? Who do I want to hook up with? …Ouch! That wasn't nice Samantha."

_Oops guess he didn't appreciate being punched._

"Jack I don't want to hear about you and other women. There are some things I just don't need to know."

"Give me a chance to give you my answers first, imp."

Jack tugged Sam around so she was half facing him. He reached down and took her unattached hand, placing it on his chest as he continued.

"An average of one goal a game. A GPA of 3.5 or higher. An insanely smart, impossibly beautiful, incorrigibly sassy temptress with oceanic eyes and currently curly blond hair."

Sam's gaze, which had been focused on her hand on his chest, flew up to meet his, staring.

_He just…me…I'm his goal? Am I hallucinating? Please, somebody pinch me, otherwise I'm going to wakeup and this'll have all been a dream. Why hasn't he kissed me yet? What is he waiting for? Did he change his mind already?

* * *

_

Jack

_Nice going. Very smooth lines there pal. Congratulations. She's…not moving, just staring. I could drown in those eyes. She looks nervous. Shit! If she's not interested…is that a tear? I'm screwed._

"Samantha, honey…? Ssh. It's okay. Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

Jack placed his fingertips under Sam's chin and used his thumb to brush away the lone tear trailing down her cheek. He bent his head, intending to kiss her cheek where his thumb had been. But Sam turned her head at the last instant so his lips landed on hers. This time as Jack moved to pull away Sam fisted her hand in his shirt and held him close. She pressed her mouth to his using slightly more pressure than he'd used before pulling back enough to breathe.

_Wait, no, don't go. Come back. I barely even got to…did she just lick her lips? … Mine!_

Jack once again closed the distance between them catching Sam with her lips still parted from drawing breath. His tongue traced the edges of her mouth, exploring gently, unsure of Sam's reaction or experience. She seemed to know what to do though. Her tongue snaked out imitating his. They met somewhere in the middle, tangling, twining, talking without words.

_I'm kissing Sam, Samantha. She's kissing me back. Sweet! I could do this forever._

Jack wasn't sure how long he sat there with Sam in his arms, kissing her. He was surprised that no one interrupted them. Eventually he withdrew from the temptation of her mouth and tucked her back along his side.

* * *

Sam

They sat silently, neither wanting to break this moment of discovery. Both wondering how this could be real, how they could be so lucky. Gradually Sam became aware of sounds other than their rushed breathing. With the return of sound came awareness of the presence of others nearby. From somewhere close she thought she could distinguish Mark's voice. The tone in T's voice carried over the din of the party making him immediately distinguishable and out of place.

_It sounds like he's talking to someone out front. Wonder what the problem is._

"This is a closed gathering. You are not permitted to attend. Please leave promptly."

"Jack? Jack! Damn it Jack I know you're here. Tell your watchdog to let me in."

The voices were now raised enough that Jack and Sam could understand what was being said. Sam didn't recognize the woman's voice but she had a good guess who would be looking for Jack so energetically.

_I guess she was expecting to be invited. Crap! We don't need her to cause a scene._

"Jack…are you…we going to go help T?"

"I suppose we should. It is my fault she's here."

Jack rose and turned to help Sam to her feet. They made their way to the front hall. T was blocking most of the doorway, but small pieces of Sarah were visible between his body and the doorframe. Jack stepped up beside T leaving Sam mostly hidden behind the two men.

_I still can't believe he chose me over her._

"Sarah, go home. I told you last night that this was over."

"But who's going to sponsor you? T? Again? Though obviously not since you weren't with him when he answered the door. Oh Jack…please tell me you didn't pick that little blond twit. She's not even in school yet. That's immoral even if it's not illegal."

_Okay, now I'm beginning to understand. How can people stand her?_

Sam stepped out from behind Jack and T.

"Hi. Sarah, right? I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Sam Carter, Jack's sponsor. You are … superfluous, last month's news. I suggest you leave now before you embarrass yourself further. T, please make sure she gets off the porch safely."

Sam turned her back on Sarah, smiled her thanks at T, and led a grinning Jack back towards the basement.

"Samantha, that was fantastic but completely unnecessary. I could've handled it."

"I suppose you could have given the spectacular job you've done so far."

Sam had been joking, but glancing at Jack she noticed that he'd missed the humor.

"Besides if I'm going to be going to school here next year it saves me time if I put her in her place now. Relax Jack."

"Hey sis, nice job."

Sam turned back towards the front door surprised to see Mark and Catherine sitting on the front stairs. Mark continued,

"Jack, consider yourself officially warned. If you screw my sister over I will mess you up regardless of the fact that you're my best friend. Not that I think Sam will leave much for me to work with. Just remember you'll never be good enough to deserve her and try not to push your luck."

He finished his speech to Jack with a roguish wink and then addressed the rest of the group.

"Look at the time. I think its time we took this back downstairs."

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter was a little longer than I originally anticipated and I'm still not done with the party/evening. So here's my question for you guys…Sam has to go home tomorrow. Assuming you'd like me to continue this, should I do it as additional chapters in this fic or should I just start a sequel? I'm kind of leaning towards the sequel idea, mainly because I think the next thing I want to write after this is Christmas/New Years. Also I'm wondering where my readers fall on the sex issue. One last thing, this is all still unbetaed, so if ppl are noticing problems or are interested in helping out please let me know.**


	9. Here's to you

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, including any you don't realize you should recognize yet, are property of other people. I'm just borrowing them for the heck of it.

* * *

**

**Toasts and Sleeping Arrangements**

Sam

Once again George herded everyone downstairs and smiled down on them from the last step.

"And now for the second part of this little gathering…Does everyone still have their bottles?"

As he was speaking a willowy brunette stepped up beside him and tapped him on the shoulder. When she glared at him George shrugged sheepishly.

"Most of you know my sponsor. She'd like to remind me that she's supposed to be in charge here tonight. They're all yours Lizzy."

"Thanks George. I hope you're all having a good evening so far. It's time for toasts. Sponsors, since we're in control, what happens with the bottles is up to you. The only time we ask that you drink is after you give your player's toast. So let's crack these bottles and get started."

The sound of popping corks was accompanied by several masculine curses and lots of laughter as some people decided to open their bottles over their partners. Sam had considered spraying Jack, but decided to be nice. For her trouble she ended up with champagne bubbling over their tied hands. As Sam looked around for a towel Jack lifted their hands to his mouth and began to lick up the spilt liquid. His tongue swirled over her wet fingers, catching most of the champagne before it dripped down her arm.

_Oh my! He's good with that tongue. Tingles all up my arm and down my spine. I couldn't move my arm if I wanted to._

Jack smirked at Sam's soft sigh.

"Champagne leaves a sticky residue if you don't clean it up properly."

Sam's eyes opened with a mischievous twinkle. She tugged on Jack's hand bringing it to her mouth. Her tongue darted out and, following the path his had taken, ran down his fingers to lap at his knuckles.

_This taste…good! Salty, sweet, tart, and fizzy. Yum!_

Sam swept her tongue back up Jack's hand pausing to nip lightly at his finger tips before moving their hands back down to her hips.

"Wouldn't want you to be sticky all night. It'd just get all over me later."

As the laughter from the people who'd drenched their friends tapered off Liz spoke again.

"Now for the toasts. Freshmen, well their sponsors anyways, will start."

* * *

The toasts given by thte first and second years sounded mostly the same; thanks for welcoming them onto the team and excited hopes for the coming season. Sam was starting to get nervous. Soon it was going to be her turn to give a toast and she had no idea what she was going to say.

_What on earth am I supposed to say? I don't know anything about the team. I've never given a toast before. Jack and I never quite got around to talking about this._

"Jack, what am I supposed to say?"

"Don't worry, when it gets to us just repeat after me."

And then Liz, who'd been moving the proceedings along called out Jack's name. He squeezed Sam's hand in encouragement.

"Hi, I'm Sam Carter, Jack's new sponsor. I've never given a toast before so I'm going to let Jack say a little bit and then I'll close."

She nodded to Jack.

"All righty then guys. Feel free to join in if you know how this goes…

Dough, the stuff that buys me beer.  
Ray, the guy who brings me beer.  
Me, the guy who drinks the beer.  
Far, a long way to get beer.  
So, I'll have another beer.  
La, I'll have another beer.  
Tea, no thanks I'm having beer.  
That will bring us back to... DOH!"

Sam waited until the giggles had died away.

"Here's to good beer, better friends, and the best season ever."

As Sam finished speaking she lifted the champagne bottle, brought it to her lips and swallowed. The bottle had been open for a while now, so the fizz was no longer overwhelming. The taste reminded her of Jack, the feel of his tongue on her skin and his skin under her tongue, causing her to blush and tremble.

* * *

Jack

Glancing over at his sponsor Jack noticed a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. He bent and captured her lips, his tongue darting out to taste the champagne lingering in her mouth.

_Mmm!_

"Next up, Mark Carter."

"Hey guys, Catherine here for Mark. Getting straight to the point…

Here's to you and here's to me.  
May we never disagree!  
But if we do,  
The hell with you!  
Here's to me!"

As with Jack's toast most of the room finished the toast with Catherine and a roar. Most of the hockey players and some of the sponsors were fairly intoxicated as the only remaining toast of the evening was George's.

"Now you've all been very patient so far, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet with George's favorite toast to honor…

Here's to hitting on her.  
Here's to getting on her.  
And if you can't come in her…  
Come on her!"

Masculine laughter rolled through the basement accompanied by several cat calls and loud burps as guys chugged the remainder of their champagne. The blush that had begun after Sam gave her toast deepened.

_Hmmm, Samantha looks so adorable when she blushes. The way she's staring at the ground worrying her bottom lip right now is so damn sexy! I guess she hasn't heard that toast before._

"Embarassed Samantha? It's just a little play on words." Jack whispered in her ear.

Sam rolled her eyes.

"It's so sexiest and juvenile."

"What else were you expecting from a group of guys, kiddo? Come on let's go introduce you to some of the others."

* * *

Sam

A few hours later Sam was starting to fall asleep on her feet, well on Jack's shoulder anyways. Jack had introduced her to George and Liz and while the guys had had a serious discussion about life in the Air Force the women, who had little in common, had been forced to make awkward small talk. When Sam had had enough she apologized to George and dragged Jack over to the couches where Daniel, Janet, Mark, Catherine, and T sat playing some drinking game with cards and beer. Daniel's face had lit up at their approach.

"Oh good, fresh blood. Maybe now I can get out of being the Asshole."

"I believe Samantha Carter will prove to be a better strategist than you despite her status as a novice Daniel Jackson. Besides she has been partnered with O'Neil."

T's prediction had proven to be correct as Daniel retained his position through the remainder of the game. Though they had finished playing a wile ago the group remained on the couches talking. Others had moved through their conversation, but the core group stayed constant. The conversation, quiet and subdued relative to the boisterous party which continued around them, was lulling Sam to sleep with her head on Jack's shoulder and her legs stretched across his lap.

_Hmm…comfortable. Don't need a bed. I can sleep here, right? I can hear his heart beat, feel the movement of his chest as he breathes, rhythmic and comforting. Goodnight._

Janet smiled as she noticed Sam's eyes drift shut and her head burrow deeper into Jack's shoulder.

"I think someone needs to be taken to bed. She's going to be very sore in the morning if she spends the night like that. Hold out your hand Jack. I'll untie you so you can get her coat on and get her home."

* * *

Jack

_Janet's got a point. I'm going to be sore too if I don't move soon._

"Good idea Janet. Anybody else ready to call it a night yet?"

"I shall accompany you and Samantha Carter back to the house to retire for the evening O'Neil."

T, who had not been drinking but just watching the game, rose from his seat opposite Jack.

"Do you need help transporting Samantha Carter, O'Neil?"

"I can carry her T. Just get the doors for me will ya?"

It took some fancy maneuvering, but between the two of them the guys managed to get Sam up the treacherous basement stairs, into her coat and back into Jack's arms.

_She's heavier than she looks. Good thing I don't have to go very far. She'd kick my butt for thinking that. Almost there now. Okay into the apartment. Only one more flight of stairs…as if I haven't had enough exercise already today. Crap, where do I put her? And I can't exactly get her into her pjs either. Carter would shoot me, but naked Sam…totally worth it!_

"Samantha…wake up Sam. You need to get out of these clothes and into bed."

Jack set her down on Mark's bed and dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open eyeing him sleepily. She yawned.

"Could you get my bag? It's over there."

"As you wish, my beautiful sponsor."

"Jack…we're not tied anymore…"

"Nope. Janet did the honors so I could get your coat on for the walk home."

"Doesn't that mean you don't have to humor me anymore?"

"Actually I'm still yours til morning."

"Good, wait here while I go change."

Sam rose and taking her bag from Jack, headed for the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later in the same shorts and tank top she'd woken next to him in. The less noble part of Jack's brain kicked into overdrive.

_Pretty! Mine! Want to touch! No! No! Mustn't scare the pretty lady. Down Jack! You know she's never done anything like this before.

* * *

_

Sam

_Okay Samantha, you know what you want, now just tell him. You can do it. He can't say no._

"Come with me Jack."

Sam stepped out of her brother's room and into the hall. Without looking to see if Jack had followed she walked the short distance to Jack's door and stepped inside. She seated herself on Jack's bed and gestured for him to join her. Jack sat down several feet from her at the end of his bed.

"Stay with me tonight Jack."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Samantha. I'm not entirely sober and I don't trust my self with you."

"Nothing happened last night Jack."

"Yes, and look where we are now. Last night holding you and kissing you were things I'd only dreamed about. Now that that's no longer true…I can't promise you the same results tonight."

"I trust you Jack. Now go change and get in bed."

* * *

Jack

_How can I not? I'd be stupid not to do this. Of course that's assuming I don't do something even more stupid with her here. I could sleep with Samantha. I get to sleep with Samantha. I get to sleep with Sam._

"Okay Samantha. I'll stay with you, but promise me you'll tell me if anything, anything, makes you at all uncomfortable. And this time I'll sleep against the wall."

It took several minutes of awkward shuffling after Jack had changed before they had themselves comfortably situated in his bed. They ended up spooning, Sam's back to Jack's front, just a small, unnatural bit of space between them. Sam's head was pillowed on Jack's left arm and his right was draped over her waist, fingers linked with hers, resting against her stomach. Jack leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on Sam's temple.

"Sleep well, Samantha."

Realizing that Sam had already fallen back asleep Jack placed his head on the pillow next to her and sighed, willing himself to relax. He had one final thought before following her into the oblivion of dreams.

_This is where I belong_.

* * *

**A/N: These chapters just keep coming and they're always longer than anticipated. As far as I can tell there will be one more chapter to The Visit. Don't worry though. I plan on beginning a sequel ASAP. I'm not done yet. Actually, sitting down to write this chapter was difficult because my mind kept jumping ahead to where I'd like to take the story. The way I see it currently I've got at least two sequels to go and that doesn't even get me to the Stargate. I better get busy then eh?**


	10. Awakening

**Disclaimer: For the last time (at least in this fic)…nobody here belongs to me, just the collection of words and the order in which they are arranged.**

**Tagline: They grew up together, but will they grow old together?

* * *

**

**Plans**

Jack

_I could get used to this._

This morning Jack was not surprised to wake with Sam curled up beside him. What surprised him was that there was no longer any space between them and that at some point during the night not only had his hand slipped under her tank top but his top leg had wrapped itself over Sam's hip. What worried him was that his body was quickly responding to this intimacy.

_First priority…space. Step one, remove leg from Samantha. Step two, move hand from fabulously flat, silky skinned stomach._

Jack managed to get his leg back and shift slightly from Sam without waking her. However he was distracted from his second objective by the feel of her skin under his fingertips. The patterns he was drawing over her torso woke her. Shivering slightly, cold from being separated from Jack, Sam wiggled back into him, promptly negating all his efforts.

_Crap! There's no way she's not going to notice now. How am I supposed to handle this?_

Once again Jack's morning musings were interrupted by Sam shifting to face him.

"Hi."

This morning Jack was the one to reach out and smooth his hand through her hair, helpless but to return her grin. Before he could think better of it his hand cupped the back of her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. He meant to keep it light, a simple good morning, but once again Sam changed his plans. The taste of her overwhelmed him and left him craving more as she pulled back. Jack followed her, rolling with her as she drew back from their kiss. The leg he'd worked so stealthily to move from her landed between Sam's legs as he ended up half on top of her. One of Jack'shands stayed fixed in Sam's hair while the other betrayed his intentions further by sliding up Sam's stomach, coming to rest just beneath, not quite touching, her breast.

* * *

Sam

Sam's face was flushed, her breathing shallow and rapid. She tried to diffuse the tension rising between them.

"I guess you're happy to see me this morning."

When that appeared to have no effect Sam, feeling braver than usual, ran a hand down Jack's side and lightly dug her fingernails into his hips.

"Sa-mantha"

Jack's breathy response caused Sam to giggle nervously, rocking her hips against him. Jack pressed his hips into Sam and gripped her rib cage trying to still her. This brought his thumb into contact with her breast and he couldn't resist sliding his thumb over her.

_Oh! So that's why…ah! Melting. Can't think. Don't want to think, too much to feel._

"Jack…please…"

"Please what Sam? Stop? Tell me what you want Sam?"

"Jack…I…I don't…know what to do. Jack!"

* * *

Jack

Jack's thumb continued to move as he spoke in short sentences between kisses. Currently his tongue was roaming along Sam's collar bone as he listened, fascinated, to the moans punctuating her speech.

_God she tastes fantastic. So much skin to explore._

Jack's busy mouth left Sam's throat and began to travel down her body. It took him several seconds to notice that Sam had stilled beneath him and that she was becoming increasingly tense as his mouth neared the expanse of skin his thumb had already claimed.

_Shit! She's not responding. Abort! Abort!_

Jack released Sam and rolled as far away from her as possible on the small bed, breathing hard and mentally cursing himself. After a brief moment, Sam sat up and climbed off the bed hastily.

"I should probably…go. I need to shower before I head home."

She dashed out of the room.

_Damn it! I knew I was going to screw this up. I pushed too fast. I have to…give her time to regroup. I need a new plan. We need to settle this before she leaves. I'll never forgive myself if I've hurt her.

* * *

_

Sam

"Good morning Samantha Carter. You look rested but troubled. Has O'Neil done something wrong?"

"What? No I'm fine T. Have you seen Mark?"

"I believe that Mark Carter spent the night elsewhere as I have yet to see him this morning."

Sam dug her phone out of her duffel bag and was preparing to call her brother as the apartment's door opened and Mark walked in followed by Catherine, Janet, and Daniel.

"We brought donuts."

"Thanks Daniel, but you didn't have to. I would have been content with cereal again this morning."

"Actually it was Janet's idea. Now I'm starved so let's eat. Mark said blueberry was your favorite."

Daniel reached into the brown bag he was carrying and pulled out a sliced, toasted, buttered blueberry bagel wrapped in a napkin and handed it to Sam. He then produced a bagel for everyone else.

"Where's Jack?"

The group turned to Sam, who shrugged.

"I haven't seen him recently," Sam said evasively, focusing on her bagel.

She missed the concerned look that passed between Catherine and Janet. The two women silently decided on a course of action. Catherine put down her bagel.

"I think I left something in Mark's room last night."

Catherine headed upstairs to find Jack while Janet moved to sit next to Sam.

"So it looks like you're trying to get an early start on your trip."

"Yeah, I've got some work to finish up before I go back to school tomorrow."

"Well why don't I help you get your stuff to the car?"

"Actually Janet, I'd like to handle that if you don't mind."

Janet turned to watch Sam's response to Jack. Only the slightest tightening of her jaw betrayed her emotional turmoil.

_What does he want now? To humiliate me more?_

"Fine Jack."

* * *

Jack

Sam said her goodbyes to the group hugging everyone in turn and thanking them for a great visit. Daniel and T wished her luck in her studies and on her college search. Janet and Catherine gave her their phone numbers with repeated requests for Sam to call them. Mark tapped her on the nose and told her not to burry it too far into books.

"Remember, it is your job to keep Mom and Dad on their toes, now that I'm not around anymore. Drive safely Sam."

Jack watched as the smile Sam wore as she left the house faded quickly as they neared her car.

_I wonder what she's thinking. I hope she doesn't hate me._

"Samantha, Sam, baby, I'm sorry about what happened this morning. Talk to me please."

"You're sorry Jack? For what exactly?"

_Utoh! She's pissed._

Sam's voice was roughened with the effort required to keep from shouting.

"For not being able to get far enough away from me fast enough when you realized how little experience I actually have? For making me doubt myself, my taste in men, my decisions?"

"Samantha, stop, please. Let me…explain, I guess. I'm sorry for pushing you into something you weren't ready for. I felt you tense beneath me. I had to stop. I didn't want to but…Sam if I hadn't I could have raped you."

Jack looked at the ground for a moment before raising his eyes to her face. Sam's mouth hung open as her brain struggled to process Jack's speech. It took her a while, but Jack could see understanding finally dawn in her eyes. In a gesture that was rapidly becoming habit for both of them, Sam reached out and stroked Jack's cheek; savoring the feel of his rough stubble scraping lightly over her palm.

"Jack I didn't want you to stop, just slow down a little. I was a little overwhelmed. I felt like I was drowning."

"I was right there with you Sam."

* * *

Sam

Sam gazed into Jack's eyes searching for the truth behind his answer. Finding it, she responded simply.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yep."

"What does that mean Samantha?"

"I suppose it means I'm not upset with you anymore, but I still have to go."

Jack smiled slightly and stepped back.

"Okay."

"Okay? Jack?"

"Okay, I'll let you go now, but I'll be home in a month for the holidays and we'll figure this all out then. Until then, we should make a point of talking regularly. I'll call you after our game Wednesday if I haven't heard from you before then."

Jack opened the rear passenger door and threw Sam's duffel inside. He moved around the car to join her on the driver's side. Placing on hand on either side of her he trapped her against the car. He kissed her, quickly pulling back before either of them could be tempted to deepen the kiss, and opened her door.

"Have a safe trip Samantha," said Jack as he handed her into the car. "I'll see you in four weeks."

Jack shut the car door and stepped back. Sam watched in her rear view mirror as he waved at her as she drove out of the parking lot.

_I hope we really can work this out because I feel like I'm leaving home, not returning there.

* * *

_

**A/N: And so ends 'The Visit', my first SG1 fan fic. Hope noone was particularly surprised or disappointed that there was no sex yet. It just felt too soon for these two. Besides I have a plan now. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this, especially those who put in the effort to review as well. Special acknowledgements also go out to Saraloui, Sci Fi Fan Gillian, Floopygirl, FarooqMe, SexyIrishBeep, GateSeeker2, and Jaka for reviewing more than once. Peace out.**


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